Blogs and Journalism

There's an interesting case afoot that will bring to the fore the ongoing debate about the journalistic value of blogging. Apple has filed suit against a Mac fan blog for divulging trade secrets. The proprietor, Nick dePlume (likely an alias), is likely to claim First Amendment protections as a journalist. Some discussion on slashdot here and here, and a CS Monitor story here. It's an interesting question, and I would tend to think that the term "blog" ought not to have anything to do with the result. The variation in scope, purpose, audience, and impact among blogs is so great as to defy any sensible unified treatment. It's hard to argue that the top tier of bloggers (Powerline, Talking Points, etc) don't serve functions that would typically be equated with journalism. Bloggers who use their blog as a personal diary would likely not qualify for the same treatment.